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Tag Archives: Garlic

As we all SHOULD now, eating liver is eating healthy. Chicken liver is no exception. It is high in B12, in selenium, and is good for your nails and hair. It keeps your thyroid healthy, which is good for your hormones. It is filled with Vitamin A, with retinol, alpha and beta-carotene including lycopen. It is good for fertility and a myriad of other things.

A few weeks ago I bought a package of chicken liver at the Farmers Market. Free range chicken livers! But it was a 2 lb. package and I live alone, so I predict you will see several chicken liver recipes coming in the near future.

1/2 lb chicken liver

1 T. Olive Oil

1 t. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

Combine the ingredients in a frying pan until the chicken liver is cooked. It’s so easy and good for you (plus as a liver lover, I think it’s wonderful).

I must admit I have always loved okra. I don’t have a clue why many other people don’t. I like it fried and in Gumbo. Awhile back I ate at a restaurant that had sauteed okra and this is super close. It is not slimy and it’s so yummy.

1/2 lb of okra (give or take0

Juice of 1/4 large, juicy lemon or the juice from a smaller lemon

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic minced (I love garlic, I used about 4 cloves)

Chop the okra into small pieces. This step is totally optional – the restaurant where I had it didn’t do so, but I wanted it this way.

Mince the garlic – I used a garlic press.

Put the okra in a bowl.

Put the garlic on the okra.

Squeeze the lemon juice onto the okra and garlic and mix.

Marinate awhile. This step can also be skipped if you’re in a hurry, but I marinate my okra most of the afternoon.

Put olive oil in pan. Add okra mixture. Cook until it is beginning to brown.

This is so good for you. Homemade broth offers minerals in a form that the body can easily absorb, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sulphur and trace minerals. Broken-down components from the animal cartilage and tendons such as chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine are also transfered into the broth, which are now sold pharmaceutically as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain. (http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/58641/Nourishing-Homemade-Bone-Broth-For-the-Summer#)

“Perhaps one of the most crucial components of homemade broth is the gelatin- the substance that causes a good stock to congeal when cooled. Gelatin has been used to heal and nourish people for thousands of years, with documented use dating back to the Chinese culture in 204 A.D. It is difficult to replicate, and something that you will simply never find it in a can or a box of broth (though sometimes they try to add emulsifiers and thickeners as a quick fix). Gelatin is a unique food in that it has hydrophillic colloid properties, meaning that it attracts water and gastric juices to greatly ease the digestive process. Though it does not contain complex full proteins, gelatin contains 20 important building block amino acids and acts as a protein sparer, to maximize use of ingested of protein sources. Glycine is an important amino acid contained in gelatin. As the simplest amino acid, scientists have found its role in body function to be quite complex, including involvement in glucogenesis and detoxification. Glycine is involved in the creation of hemoglobin, creatine, bile salts, glutathione, other amino acids and the nucleotides RNA and DNA. Though this amino acid is not technically considered “essential” (meaning the body can produce them in limited amounts without dietary intake), many experts suggest that the 21st century diet is not sufficient in supplying the body support the creation of glycine independently, and thus ensuring adequate food sources is recommended.” (http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/58641/Nourishing-Homemade-Bone-Broth-For-the-Summer#)

Of course, as with everything else, everyone has their own recipe. This is mine.

Now here is where everyone differs. Some people say to cook for 24-72 hours. Some say a week. I tend to be in the week camp because when you’re done, the bones are almost non-existent, so I know I’ve gotten everything out of it possible. So, it’s up to you.

Bring to a boil in your crockpot.

Lower heat to simmer.

Cook however long you decided. Add water as needed.

Remove from heat and strain to get bones out.

Put in refrigerator and let fat rise to top. Skim off.

Use within a week or freeze or can.

When I was preparing the broth for this post, I cooked the bones and meat for five full days. The bones almost disappeared.

Start cooking

The leftover bones after cooking five days. Most of them have dissolved into the broth.

Here I go again – making new twists on old favorites. I must admit that prior to becoming GF, I wasn’t that much of a bread lover, but after I couldn’t have the good stuff, well, I CRAVED the good stuff.

Recently I have been hearing about how fast the body replicates itself. Cells divide and die and divide and die. Well, it’s more complicated than that, but I am a law student, completely non-science for the most part, so that’s a fairly good explanation. In fact, according toNPR, the majority of our cells are replaced every year. So that gives an entire new perspective to “you are what you eat.” Food of course allows our body to do what our body does, so in a slightly simplistic manner, is the skin on your arm from McDonalds or from the health food store? What about you liver? Is it from Taco Bell or Whole Foods?

So for the next several weeks I am detoxing my body. I don’t want Burger King arms or Pizza Hut thighs or. . . I want to be Whole Foods Woman! Okay, I know, it was sounding a wee bit melodramatic. Reminds me of Lindsey Wagner.

Things To Cleanse Your Body

Avocado

Avocados. We rarely think of avocados as a cleansing food but these nutritional powerhouses lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Avocados contain a nutrient called glutathione, which blocks at least thirty different carcinogens while helping the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.

Beets.The root contains niacin (vit.B-3), pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and carotenoids. Also minerals like iron, manganese, and magnesium. It is a good source of potassium. Potassium in turn lowers the heart rate. Red Beet Root acts as a splendid organic cleanser, not only of the liver, but also of the kidneys and gall bladder. Taking this helps stimulate the activity of the lymphatic system for coughs, colds and bronchial disorders.

Bone Broth. Glycine and proline are two key components of connective tissue, the biological “glue” that holds our bodies together. There are many types of connective tissue and these two amino acids feature prominently in most of them, from the cartilage that forms our joints to the extracellular matrix that acts as a scaffold for the cells in our individual organs, muscles, arteries etc. Without these two amino acids, we would literally fall apart. So, it is no surprise that we need these two amino acids to heal, not only gaping wounds, but also the microscopic damage done to blood vessels and other tissues in our body caused by inflammation and infection. In fact, glycine is known to inhibit the immune system and reduce activation of inflammatory cells in your body. Whether you are trying to heal from an infection, address an auto-immune disease, or reduce inflammation caused by neolithic foods or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, high levels of dietary glycine are critical.

Broccoli sprouts. They pack 20 times more cancer-fighting, enzyme-stimulating activity into each bite than the grown-up vegetable. Research suggests that eating the sprouts (they have a radish-like taste) kills off H. Pylori bacteria that causes stomach irritation and ulcers.

Cabbage. There are two main types of detoxifying enzymes in the liver, and this potent veggie helps activate both of them. It’s the largest member of the Brassica veggie family, all of which delivers colon-cancer fighting isothicyanates and vitamin C. Coleslaw, anyone?

Celery and Celery Seeds. Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.

Cilantro (aka Coriander)

Cilantro. Cilantro contains two specific compounds known as cineole and linoleic acid that both possess anti-arthritic and anti-rheumatic properties. Cilantro also contains a substance known as dodecenal that is twice as powerful as the antibiotic drug gentamicin at fighting infection and eradicating harmful microbes from the body. Cilantro is also a natural antiseptic that can help wounds heal more quickly, and is a natural chelator of heavy metals from the body.

Garlic. Eat garlic to cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body, especially from the blood and intestines. It also helps cleanse build-up from the arteries and has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances. Additionally, garlic assists with cleansing the respiratory tract by expelling mucous build-up in the lungs and sinuses. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which has virtually none of the above properties. Add it to everything — salads, sauces, spreads. In addition to the heart-friendly bulb’s cardio benefits, it activates liver enzymes. Research also indicates that garlic diminishes a process that creates cancer-causing compounds in your body.

Leafy green vegetables. Eat them raw in a salad, throw them into a broth, steam them and mix with rice or add to an omelet, or puree them into juices. The chlorophyll in greens helps swab out environmental toxins (heavy metals, pesticides). It’s also an all-around liver protector, which your liver needs since it’s your major domo detoxifier.

I know you’re probably thinking “how to cut garlic?” Duh! But there is an easier way to do it – unless you already know this trick. And if you do, ignore me. By the way, I want to give a shout-out to my daughter Tabitha Orr who taught me this trick. Who says old Mom’s can’t learn new tricks.

Lay your garlic on a chopping board.

Take your garlic and chop of the hard end. This part is actually optional, because the trick will for the most part, do this for me. So it’s your call.

Take the flat side of a heavy butcher knife and lay it on the garlic. Make a fist and hit the knife HARD.